A Hero Reborn: A prologue to Ocarina of Time
by The Eagle1989
Summary: For 100 years Hyrule has been at war, the Sheikah have been decimated and the King of Hyrule struggles to unite his realm. The remnants of the ancient tribe known as the Sheikah meanwhile look for a boy whom legend says will be reborn and save Hyrule from the darkness that threatens to consume everything. So far their search has been in vain. A prologue to Ocarina of Time.


A gentle breeze blew across the treetops of Kokiri Forest ruffling the forest canopy as a thousand shades of green shimmered in the dawn light. Birds greeted the morning with a ritual of birdsong. The sun hung low in the eastern sky and its light just touched the distant peaks of the Gerudo Mountains in the west. It was a warm cloudless morning and despite the apparent tranquility of Kokiri Forest the morning was far from peaceful for most of Hyrule. The thick tendrils of black smoke drifting up from the west like the black fingers of some beast of Hyrulean legends was a testament to this. A small human like figure with wings emitting an ethereal blue glow flew above the trees of Kokiri Forest. It rose into the air, not far from a clearing occupied by a single ancient tree at its center, its uppermost branches rose above the rest of the forest. The fairy hovered above the treetops for a moment, observing the edge of the forest. It was not alone for long before a second fairy joined it. They gazed at the smoke in silence for a moment, both wondering how long their home would remain safe from the troubles that had consumed the lands beyond it.

Navi hovered above the forest her gaze settled upon the distant mountains wherein the smoke was growing thicker, its thick tendrils intertwined, ascending to the sky on the distant horizon. She felt a tinge of worry at the sight. Closer to the forest Navi could see the tents of a massive camp along the shores of a lake that stretched out toward the Gerudo Mountains. Her thoughts drifted to the Great Deku Tree, the ancient guardian of the forest, and she felt her anger rising as she curled her small hands into fists. For weeks she had tried to warn the Great Deku Tree that the Kokiri, the children of the forest, would not be safe forever. The forest children, or Kokiri, did not know how to fight, relying instead on magic to protect them. As occupied as she was in her own thoughts, Navi hardly took notice of the fairy that flew beside her until it spoke breaking Navi from her thoughts.

"Navi! What is it?" The second fairy asked.

Navi did not speak. She just wanted to be alone, still fuming over her last argument with the Great Deku Tree. A small part of her was grateful for the distraction though. She did not admit this aloud. It was some time before either fairy spoke, Navi deciding to break her silence upon seeing that her companion was not about to leave until finding out what was bothering the her friend.

"Something is amiss," Navi said.

"Something has been amiss for ages! That is not new. The war wages on."

"And yet here we are, completely ignoring it." Navi replied bitterly. "We have to flee. I tried to tell the Great Deku Tree, but he assured me his magic would keep the evil at bay."

"You don't believe him?" Mori asked.

"No." Navi replied sadly. "Do you?"

"He has kept us safe this long hasn't he?"

"You have not been beyond the forest Mori. It is all you have ever known so I don't blame you for not questioning the Great Deku Tree. There are powers out there even greater than those he wields. I have seen some of them myself. The Great Deku Tree has to, he can see through the eyes of the birds and wild animals."

Navi looked out at the field of grass ahead. Navi had left the forest once, after the death of her last Kokiri. He had wondered out of the forest, beyond the Great Deku Tree's wards. The Great Deku Tree forbade the kokiri from leaving the forest. Yet Navi's Kokiri had done just that. Her attempts to find a companion among the common-folk of Hyrule had not ended well, her friend murdered when the same creatures that now invaded Hyrule attacked their camp.

"The war has been going on for a hundred years Navi. Why do you think it is reaching some sort of climax now?"

"From what I have heard when I last left the forest, I believe it is. The Great Deku Tree believes me on that part at least. He just does not believe me that we are in danger so long as we are here. The Kokiri are only children Mori, what do you think would happen to them? I have already lost two of my closest friends. I don't want to lose what I have left, or you."

She turned away from Mori, not wanting the other fairy to see the tears welling up in her eyes. Mori moved closer to Navi, they were both still hovering above the sea of green leaves below them. She placed a hand on Navi's shoulder.

"You won't Navi. The goddesses will not abandon us now. You'll see."

_They abandoned Felora, and Doran._ Navi thought sadly. She wanted to believe Mori. She wanted to believe in the ancient legends that the goddesses had created a cycle in which at the end of each age a hero would be reborn to fight the evil that threatened Hyrule.

"Thanks, Mori." Navi replied at last. She hoped Mori was right, for all their sakes.

* * *

About a day's ride south from Kokiri Forest, across the lush green meadows of Hyrule Field, nestled amongst the foothills of the mountains to Hyrule's north stood Hyrule Castle. It stood on a hill surrounded by the city built around it. Norsan looked out a window overlooking Hyrule Castle Town. A town bell announced the new day but few were outside to greet it and there was little wonder why. Smoke rose from the foothills of Death Mountain where another village, Kakariko lay. It was only a few hours away by horse. With the edges of Kakariko village burning, word of the battle that waged there had spread throughout Hyrule Town leaving its citizens wondering how long their city's walls and moat would keep them safe.

_Not long, _Norsan thought, he had seen how large the invading armies were.

The invaders were mostly moblins. Grotesque beasts with a head shaped like a dog, except where the nose would have been on a dog there was a pigs snout. The rest of their body more resembled a large muscular human except for the fur while their legs and feet were those of a goat. Other creatures often filled some the ranks of the moblin forces as well. The most common of these were the smaller bublins, which looked similar except for the presence of horns on their head. The moblins, which relied on brute strength more than skill, were rather stupid and Norsan was not entirely convinced they had made the decision to invade on their own and someone was controlling them.

He wondered if the company the king had sent to the Gerudo Valley had found the source of the invasion or the Gerudo. Rumours had spread upon the wind that the attackers had come from the Gerudo Valley, some said the Gerudo had sent them despite the fact that the desert tribes had never relied on armies of the dim-witted brutish monsters before, nor had they shown much interest in the affairs of Hyrule. The king's eyes and ears in the Gerudo Valley had reported the Gerudo had vanished with no indications of a battle.

It was still early morning, the mountains in the east casting long shadows over most of the land. A golden light touched the tips of the western mountain range. Norsan was dressed in his armour, including a helm and held a spear in his left hand while his right grasped the pommel of his sword.

Little did Norsan notice a messenger walk up the corridor and over to him. The man wore a grey cloak, the sigil of Hyrule visible on the chest of his tunic beneath it. The man looked haggard and gaunt with deep shadows under his eyes. Norsan turned to address the man as he approached. The man bowed as Norsan turned and greeted him with a rushed "My Lord."

"What is it?" Norsan asked, trying not to sound weary.

"King Daphon has summoned you, it is urgent."

At that Norsan suppressed a sigh, he had been hoping for some good news but the man's words left Norsan with little doubt the reason the king had summoned him was anything but good.

"I will go to him, thank you." Norsan replied to the messenger.

Norsan sent the messenger on his way, taking one last look out the window he walked down the hallway to a staircase and through another corridor, this one was wider than the last and on either sides of the hall portraits and tapestries portrayed the likeness of Hyrule's past monarchs. Both kings and queens peering down from their throne at those who walked passed them. At the end of the hallway was a large set of oak doors with intricate floral patterns along its edges. On either side of the door was a pattern of triangles they joined to make what looked like a single large triangle made up of three smaller ones, the sacred Triforce.

The guards greeted Norsan and opened the door into the room as he approached. The throne room was a remarkable sight; it was by far the biggest room in the castle, larger than the great hall. Its floor was marble, and the walls stone. Above the archway and the throne were two Triforce symbols. A marble statue of one of the goddesses stood behind the throne, its eyes gazing down on the dais. There was a tiara on its head with a blue sapphire embedded in it. Two similar statues stood on either side of the goddess. These two women bore staffs. Their other hand lay wide open, palm up to reveal a gem in their grasp. The statue to the left held a ruby and the right an emerald. A blue carpet ran the length of the marble floor, ending at the foot of the dais.

Norsan passed the pillars on either side of the carpet, marking the walkway. Silent, and almost as still as statues were guards, all along the wall. A tall woman with grey hair who stood at least a foot higher than Norsan, wearing purple garments and a deep burnt orange cloak stood before the throne. Norsan's eyes fell upon the symbol on her cloak, an eye adorned by three triangles. The eye was shedding a single tear beneath it. The woman turned around before Norsan could snatch more than a glance at the symbol. Worry creased the woman's face and she only regarded him with a small nod, which Norsan returned, before she quickly made her way for the doors at the far side of the hall.

_Impa is in a hurry, _Norsan thought as he cast a quick glance at the woman as she disappeared through the door. He had rarely seen the woman look so worried, most of the time it was impossible to know what she was feeling. Sheikah, especially Impa seemed to have the emotional capacity of a stone. That sight did little to ease his own concerns, he knew he was not going to like whatever news the king had for him.

Norsan proceeded up the steps to the throne and knelt before the king. Daphon's wife sat beside him in another throne, in her arms she held a young infant. Norsan rose as the king gestured for him to do so.

"You called for me your majesty?" Norsan asked.

"Yes I did," said Daphon. "I have just received word that Kakariko Village is under attack again by moblins. The sentries are being overrun."

"It seems they never give up," said Norsan keeping his tone neutral while his brow furrowed in concern. The moblins had raided the countryside near Kakariko a fortnight ago, only driven off as they reached the village itself. That explained why Impa had run out of the room. "You wish me to send what is left of the army to Kakariko?"

"Precisely. Our forces are stretched thin, with divisions already occupied elsewhere in Hyrule's provinces. No doubt whoever is behind this invasion is aware of that and has chosen to strike Kakariko now for that reason."The king continued.

Just then, a baby cried.

The queen who was sitting by the king looked at the infant in her arms and sighed. Norsan knew why, the infant barely ever stopped crying except when asleep and neither the queens attendants, the princess' nurse or the priests of the goddess knew why although they had theorised something was causing her to have night terrors. Only Impa could make the child sleep or be quiet, and she had just left the room. The king glanced at the now bawling infant his eyes gazing at the child with a hint of concern. One of the queens attendants rushed forward and with a hurried curtsy scooped the child into her arms before carrying the crying infant out of the throne room.

_It's a wonder anyone is getting any sleep with that noise these days, _Norsan thought. He was sure Zelda's squalls would be heard from the other side of the castle if the princess tried any harder. After a moment's pause, the king continued as though the interruption had never occurred.

"I have sent an envoy to Death Mountain to negotiate an alliance with the Gorons, if all goes well you will have reinforcements. Their leader Darunia has been more open to the idea of an alliance than his predecessors and given the amount of respect the other gorons have for him, I am confident he will not refuse."

Norsan nodded.

"Then we have accepted their offer?" Norsan knew the leader of the gorons, Darunia, had offered to help once the king gave the gorons the mines currently owned by Hyrule in Death Mountain. Technically, they had belonged to the gorons a long time ago until an invader from the east, beyond Death Mountain, had forcibly removed them from the land. Hyrule's king at the time had agreed to help but not without taking the mountains for himself after the war much to the chagrin of the surviving gorons.

"I have accepted their offer. We need their help. I will not suffer to see our homeland reduced to ash and rubble by the moblins any longer."

Norsan flinched at the thought of an alliance with the gorons, although he agreed they needed their help, not all of Hyrule would be happy to have the gorons as allies. Not after the war that had been fought over the mines in the now aptly named Death Mountain. He had initially thought that the king would be as open to the idea of allying with them as a Hylian gem dealer would be in having a goron as a shop assistant, given their tendency to eat any gem in sight. The Goron Mountains had an abundance of gemstones and ore which was the reason Hyrule had taken an interest in the mountain range for so long.

Before Norson could reply the king spoke again.

"I have already sent word the barracks. Your men will be ready at the stables soon. Go to them now. Until the gorons arrive, there is not much of Hyrule Field between Kakariko and here. In the meantime, I have stationed every man along the walls of the town. Goddesses help us if those beasts make it to the wall. May the goddesses grant us victory, good luck."

Norsan walked out of the throne room. He was half way down the stairs on his way when he stopped, nearly causing a servant to run into him. He ignored the man's hasty apologies and quickly went back up the stairs.

Norsan arrived in his bedchamber to say goodbye to his wife Lara only to find she was still fast asleep. He walked over to the infant sleeping in its cradle near the bed and kissed him on the forehead, the baby slept on.

"I may not see you again," Norsan, whispered, "I am sorry I will never be the father I wished to be but my duty is to this realm as well as to you. It is my hope that you can take on my role someday. I just hope I can help make Hyrule a more peaceful place before then. Goodbye little one."

His eyes burnt as gazed at his only son for one last time and then he turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

The fighting near Kakariko village had raged on for hours. Hylian archers and crossbowman dotted the sections of the wall that remained intact, firing arrow after arrow at the advancing invaders. Two groups of about a hundred soldiers each had poured through the breaches in the wall and the broken gate in an attempt to push the moblins back. The moblins for their part were beginning to make ground. Norsan groaned at that, he was more concerned about how the moblins had breached the wall though. They had gunpowder in large barrels loaded onto carts pulled by large boars. Using gunpowder was an idea the moblins had stolen from the Gorons. Archers upon the wall were using fire arrows to attack the wagons but between dwindling numbers and the turtle shell-like armour protecting the gunpowder, they were not making much progress. The armour on the gunpowder wagons only covered the top, leaving gaps on the side and back for an arrow to be slipped through with some difficulty. Hylian archers continued to fire volley after volley of arrows at the moblin army, one fire arrow struck a wagon setting it alight. The men on the wall dumped a cauldron of oil between the parapets into a small trench running perpendicular to the wall. The oil ran down the trench until it reached the boar dragging the wagon of gunpowder and one of the archers shot a fire arrow at the oil. The moblins beside the wagon ran but not before the wagon went up in flames causing its cargo to explode with a thunderous roar that drowned out any other sound in the vicinity. As the flames of the fireball receded the crossbowmen fired a volley into the panicked moblins that were still standing following the explosion. The crossbowmen had more luck than the archers as the crossbow bolts easily penetrated the armour of the moblins they struck piercing their hide and into the organs beneath.

Norson estimated that only thirty of the moblins had been stupid enough to stay near a wagon full of explosive barrels, and was not counting on the rest of the creatures to make the same mistake. As the moblin flank reorganized itself, a shout went up from the sentries that had noticed Norsan's men riding across the shallows of the Zora River. Norsan had to credit the moblins, they were not as stupid today as he had seen them in previous encounters, and their first act had been to destroy the bridge across Zora River making it slower for any army approaching behind them. Norsan shouted a command as some of the moblins turned to meet the new arrivals and in moments dozens of spears had swung level, their bearers mounted on horseback and charging hard into the moblin army. The moblins were afraid of the horses and tried to pull back. Those that had swords and spears advanced forward to form a spiky barricade. Even as arrows felled some of the moblins a number of unlucky horses and men ended up skewered upon the end of those spears. Now facing two forces, one from behind and in front; the moblins became nervous. The moblins tipped a wagon carrying explosive kegs over causing the dangerous cargo of barrels to roll out of it and towards the Hylians. Those near the cart realized what was happening and tried to ride out of the way. Others on foot ran but they were too late. A few brave moblins fired their own fire arrows at the barrels, one struck a single rolling barrel causing it to explode with the rest of the kegs behind it also exploding. Norsan watched the scene in dismay as the explosion engulfed both horses and men leaving a mess of charred remains in its wake. The explosion left scores badly injured, many of whom were missing limbs. Horses and men screamed in agony from burns and other injuries, many falling in a crash of steel, limbs and bones. Many did not get up from that as the moblins raced in to slaughter the wounded. Norsan felt the bile rise in his throat and had to fight the urge to be sick as the smell of burnt flesh reached him.

Norsan ordered those who could still stand or ride to fall back. Pulling back was a mistake, as the moblins charged in spears lowered, catching the first rank and impaling their victims. Norsan missed a spear by inches, throwing a knife in his belt at the attacking moblin causing it to drop the spear. He turned his horse back around and brought his sword down on the moblins throat, slicing through a gap in the armour until the blade struck flesh. The beast howled in agony and fell, leaving Norsan to bring his sword down on the creature's neck once more and severing it. Looking away from the beheaded moblin Norsan looked around to see a few riders still with him as they fled toward the river. The few crossbowmen and archers in his ranks that were still alive turned around and fired a volley into the charging moblins slowing them down. Just as they reached the river a horn blew from behind and Norsan turned to see what he first took for large orange boulders with arms and legs charging through the gaps in the wall. One of them let out a bellowing call, swinging its huge fist into the face of a moblin in front of it and Norsan realized what they were. Singing a strange battle song and beating their chests with their fists, the gorons had come at last. This worried the moblins, as they knew that bombs did not work well on these creatures and spears were as useful as sticks against steel. The gorons were also much larger and stronger than them. Norsan spotted the moblin leader, riding a large boar with black armour, who was trying to convince his troops to charge. The majority ignored him, going into a frenzy, either trying to flee or killing anyone in their sight, including their own kind. Their leader appeared to change his mind as the first line of moblin attackers fell to the gorons. He ordered his minions to retreat. By then it was far too late, realizing this, the moblin leader gave a roar of fury and forced his boar into a charge, crashing into a goron meters in front of him. The goron braced himself, grabbing the pig's tusks and pushing back with all his might. This did not work as well as the goron had hoped when the boar knocked it flat onto the ground. However the gorons efforts had stilled the boars charge allowing the surrounding soldiers to try to strike it down. One of the Hylian knights leaped to the goron's aid, thrusting his spear into the boars exposed jaw. He leaped again and ducked to avoid a mace that came swinging down at him, wielded by the moblin commander. As the Hylian got back up to face his attacker a second moblin thrust its spear into his back from behind, piercing the chain-mail beneath his armour and digging itself into his chest. Gasping, the man fell and looked up in time to see the larger moblin take aim, its mace aiming straight at his head. There was a sickening crack as the mace made contact. It split his helm, leaving little more than a pulpy red mess where his head had been. Satisfied, the moblin turned and raised its mace to finish off the injured goron. The boar rammed the goron in the head in an effort to try to gore him, which knocked the goron to the ground.

The gorons pushed forward into the disarrayed forward lines of the moblin army. Blasts of fire appearing from the wall announced the appearance of a sheikah in purple robes. The blasts of fire flew into the moblins, the heat so intense their armour melted.

_The king must have sent Impa to get them to come_, Norsan realized with relief. He watched for a moment in amazement as Impa cast fire from her outstretched hands, reducing the moblins to little more than ash as the flames tore through their ranks.

The gorons continued to through punches at any moblin in front of them and soon the moblin army was in a panic. They focused on Norsan's men who were easier targets. The leader, having finished off the goron that had challenged him, charged his boar into the horses in front of him, they fell and the moblin swung his mace to kill the men who had survived his charge. One managed to get out of the way. With a swing of his bloody mace the moblin slew the others trapped beneath their fallen steeds. Enraged at the moblin's attempts to kill his men, Norsan charged towards it, grabbed a spear jutting out of the ground tand hrew his spear straight into the moblin's eye. The moblin fell with a loud thud, one man leaped on top of it thrusting his sword into his throat, silencing the bellowing monster. Its boar meanwhile continued thundering on turning to meet the gorons. One of the gorons threw a wagon sized boulder at its head. The boar jerked sideways to avoid the rock which grazed the side of its head. It was still enough to cause the boar to halt as it staggered and then crashed into the earth. Wasting no time, a second goron threw its fist straight into the boar's head ending its angry grunts and killing it.

Leaderless and outmatched, it was the moblins turn to retreat. As both the Hylian and goron armies moved in to block any escape the moblins were finally defeated.

The gorons finished their job leaving none of the beasts alive. The goron leader Darunia, a huge muscly goron who could have easily bested any of his subjects that were present in a round of goron wrestling, commenced a battle cry his tribe joining in as they heard him.

Once the battle cry finished, Norsan walked up to the goron named Darunia and thanked him on behalf of the king. Even with Impa, a powerful sheikah beside him, being so close to a goron whose hide closely resembled orange rocks made him just as wary as the sheikah did. To Norsan's relief the goron simply nodded rather than shake his hand. Norsan did not entertain the idea of shaking hands with a goron as he imagined he would leave with a broken arm even if the goron tried to be gentle. Their business done the gorons left, leaving a few of their kind to keep watch. As they did so, Norson turned his attention to the wounded as they were carried on stretchers into Kakariko Village. Impa went with him to attend to those who would not live through the day without treatment. They had a supply of potions that quickened the body's normal healing process but their supply was dwindling meaning it had to be reserved for those who needed it the most. Norsan estimated that given the amount of healing potion the sheikah made, called fairies tears, at least a third of his men would be in no condition to fight.

It was late afternoon before Norsan began making preparations to return to Hyrule Castle. He decided to leave some of his men with the garrison protecting Kakariko to help hold the village if anything else happened. As he spoke to the commander in charge of Kakariko's defences, a messenger came galloping into the village. The messenger dismounted and asking amongst the men where Norsan was, he went to see him.

The sight of another messenger running towards him dismayed Norsan. It was surely bad news and not to Norsan's surprise it was bad.

"My lord! You are needed at the Gerudo Fortress! Our forces at the fortress have sent word that they are under siege. The king has already arranged for men from the other provinces to join you." The messenger gasped, exhausted from his long journey.

"Did he say where I was to meet them?"

"At Lake Hylia, some of our forces already there," the messenger replied.

"Return to the castle and tell the king I am on my way." Norsan ushered the messenger off. The man bowed and returned to his horse.

He turned to see Impa standing behind him.

"Let me join you, we know the moblins and other creatures are coming from the Gerudo Valley now. If you want to end the siege and find out why they have come, you will need my help."

"Impa, the Sheikah have taken enough casualties over the years as it is. With so few left, we cannot afford to lose you to."

She stared at him intently, almost making Norsan want to look away.

"I'm sorry. Of course you already know that. We need you here Impa, King Daphon needs you. When this siege is over we can try to find what is causing this invasion and I will help you, if his majesty approves."

"Then let us hope it ends soon. The magic that has protected this land is weakening, I can feel it and so did the other Sheikah."

Norsan did not like the sound of that. The Sheikah were rarely wrong when it came to the sight, the ability to see the future. They were held in high regard by the Hyrulean Royal Family, and were often appointed by the king as advisers and physicians.

"Why are all your prophecies doom and gloom Impa? Can't you give us some good news for once? Goddesses know we could use it about now."

Impa raised an eyebrow at that, prompting Norsan to add. "No offense."

"Would you prefer if we ignored it and lived in ignorant bliss until the world caved in around us?" She asked. "I doubt that is the kind of existence you would wish for your son."

"It isn't." Norsan replied grimly, trying not to let his anger rise at the comment. It was not wise to annoy a Sheikah, as the moblins had found out, so he did not pursue the topic.

"If you wish me to stay then I will. When the siege in the Gerudo Valley is over however and if my services are not required I will find what is causing this. So far the kings efforts have not gone well."

"Thank you," Norsan replied. "Just one other thing? If something happens to me, take care of my family?"

"You have my word," Impa replied with a surprising amount of softness. "Gather those who can still fight and go. I will look after things here, Darunia has agreed to leave some of the gorons to help defend the village and rebuild as much of our defenses as possible."

Norsan thought he could sense a hint of sadness from the woman when she spoke but he did not dwell on it. Bidding one final farewell he left to rally his men and leave.

* * *

Norsan rounded up his men. It was a late afternoon a day later when they finally made camp at Lake Hylia. From there it was another two days ride through the pass that separated Hyrule and the Gerudo Valley on the far side. By the time they reached the pass no more news came from the desert fortress, leaving Norsan nervous. At the end of the pass the road descended steeply into a valley where they crossed a bridge over a river that marked Hyrule's western border. Progress across the bridge was slow, as no one knew how strong it was and the river was rushing through the valley with such ferocity that when a cart fell in, the water smashed it against some jagged rocks within seconds, splintering it into pieces, while the cargo and unfortunate steed driving the cart disappeared before anyone could blink when it hit the foaming water below the bridge.

_Not even a Zora would be mad enough to swim in that, there is no way they would survive, _Norsan thought afterwards.

They arrived at the fortress at the edge of the desert to find the surrounding area a smoking ruin. The fortress itself was intact with little evidence that it had come under attack itself. All the men lay dead around the burning ruins of their camp situated near the fortress itself and no one remained alive.

"We're too late." Norsan, said, he looked to one of his younger men. "Inform the king, we'll make camp at the fortress."

The man bowed and left, just as Norsan and the army were about to leave an army of creatures appeared, seemingly rising from the sands of the desert. Soon there were hundreds of the creatures, they were undead monsters rarely encountered in Hyrule or the surrounding provinces. Before he could restore some order amongst the surprised Hylians the undead had slain half of Norsan's men. Norsan shouted an order for everyone to retreat to the fortress. Most of the men still alive did not need telling twice and ran for shelter. A few men stayed back trying to hold off the horde of skeletons, their skull resembled a moblin, their most distinguishing feature was the glowing amber eyes and their moblin shaped skulls. Norsan recognised them as stalfos. He was sure there was a necromancer nearby, killing them would stop the advancing stalfos but the mage was nowhere to be seen.

Norsan's army made a final stand at the fortress. They held the attacking army off for a while before the undead overran the fortress slaying the living where they stood. Just as it seemed the Hylians would be overwhelmed an army appeared from the shadows of the mountain beyond the fortress, charging down the slopes wielding spears and curved swords. It took a moment for Norsan to realize they were all woman, from what little he could see of their veiled faces they had brown skin and almost all had amber eyes and red hair. They were light on their feet and fast, spears and blades dancing swiftly as they fought the monsters attacking the Hylians. The gerudo had not vanished after all.

Not wanting to find out whether the enigmatic Gerudo would attack once they had killed their common foe he ordered a full retreat. Norsan did not stop to try and determine who was leading the Gerudo's charge. The gerudo slaughtered over half of the stalfos before long as they simply danced gracefully around the creatures. They were extremely fast and even now the Gerudo had managed to convince most of the creatures to retreat. This led them straight towards the remnants of Norsan's army. Even as their enemy fell the Hylians still fled, chancing the occasional volley of arrows toward their attackers as they rode towards Hyrule.

They made it back to the bridge, to find two witches blocking their path back to Hyrule, standing on the bridge. They looked strikingly similar to the gerudo except for their eyes and hair. Norsan had half a mind to try and run them down before they could move but without knowing how powerful the two witches were there was little guarantee that thar would work.

"Out of our way now witch or I will order my men to fire on you!" Norsan yelled as he pulled back on his horse's reins to make it stop, holding a hand up to get his men to do the same.

"You wouldn't speak like that to us if you knew who you were dealing with." The one with white hair said flying her broom close to Norsan's horse. The animal whinnied, shifting nervously while two archers behind Norsan notched an arrow to their bow.

"I don't think you want to do that," the second witch responded, not remotely bothered by the threat.

"By the order of King Daphon of Hyrule, step aside and let my men pass! I have no time for this." Norsan replied angrily.

The witches still stared quietly, when one of Norsan's men made to approach, the witch with white hair raised her hand. A white light glowed briefly from the palm of her hand before the air around Norsan became very cold. There was a loud crack and a jet of white light shot towards the man striking him and leaving both the soldier and his steed turned to ice, which cracked and disintegrated within moments leaving no trace of the unfortunate victim or his horse.

"We come on behalf of the gerudo king, Ganondorf. He says that he will help Hyrule and end this war. In return however he expects that the gerudo be granted the protection of Hyrule's Royal Family and be recognized as citizens of Hyrule again and that there will be no further attempts to seize the gerudo's realm."

Norsan almost laughed, "Do you honestly expect the king to agree with that? Half the country would threaten to revolt!"

"You don't have much choice. Your precious land of Hyrule doomed unless you accept our help. The Sheikah, Impa, knows this."

"Din's light burn them both!" One of Norsan's men cursed loudly. "This is madness! We have to leave now. Kill them and be done with it!"

Norsan looked behind him to rebuke the man but when he saw the undead army had advanced on them he paused. In a moment it occurred to him that the witches had summoned the monsters. The advancing undead pinned Norsan and his men against the cliffs and the swollen river below. Norsan glimpsed over the cliff at the river and his head swam as his steed nearly slipped. Before he could give the order the two archers fired, the witches quickly got out of the way.

Pandemonium resulted, Norsan tried to order his men to cease fire but at that moment the undead attacked and he decided to cross the bridge drawing his sword to face the two witches, only he could no longer see them. They made it to the bridge and crossed it, in that moment the witches reappeared, seemingly from thin air. By the time Norsan had crossed the bridge only a few men including Norsan himself remained. Norsan turned in his saddle to see the bridge go up in flames with a loud bang, followed by the screams of burning men and horses. The screams of those who fell were cut short as the raging waters of the river swept them away. Norsan looked at the burning remains of the bridge in horror hardly aware he was the only one left. One of the witches laughed and shot a blast of energy at Norsan, he urged his horse out of the way. The impact caused the ground beside the horse to explode sending shards of sharp rock flying into the animal's side. It screamed and fell taking Norsan with it, he had seconds to contemplate the agony of his shoulder as it collided with the ground. As his steed fell on top of his leg Norsan felt his leg shatter beneath the horses weight. The pain nearly rendered him comatose. Norsan's horse thrashed, still screaming, giving him a moment to bodily pull himself free and roll as another blast of fire struck his horse. The hot flames cut the animals screams short within seconds. The next blast of fire sent Norsan tumbling down the short slope and onto the cliff. He found himself dangling above the chasm clinging to the cliff edge for dear life.

"Hyrule will accept the gerudo. We were not bluffing, when our son brings word to Hyrule Castle of his victory over the undead and an offer to help end the war the king will grant his request. As for you, we will send our condolences to the king that the gerudo were unable to save you or your men. It's not that difficult for us to do. We cannot risk anyone stopping him, not even you. The fate of Hyrule depends on it. So either you can join us or die. The choice is yours." The witch with white hair told Norsan, hovering only a few feet from the dangling man but not close enough that he could grasp her broom.

"Never, will I join you!" Gasped Norsan, his lungs were burning with pain and he was beginning to lose his grip.

"Very well, shall we show him the extent of our power sis?"

There was a laugh and a strange noise like howling wind before a fierce voice spoke.

"Behold Twinorva!" The voice boomed. It sounded like the two witches had talked at once. Norsan could not look up to see what they had done. He was too busy thinking about the castle he had left behind and his son. There was a sudden bang, and the rocks collapsed on Norsan. A shower of debris rained down on him, slicing through skin and armor. Norsan's hand slipped as the rocks in front of him gave way and he fell into the raging waters below.

* * *

_5 days later…_

Lara woke up with a start and looked at her sons cradle. In her head, she heard the voice of the goddess' from her dream speak to her again. "Your son is the chosen one, destined to save Hyrule. Take him to the Kokiri Forest. The man from the desert must not discover him!"

She sat quietly for a moment, wondering if the dream was real. How would she even get to the Kokiri Forest? Getting passed the guards and out of the village would be difficult and the forest was a day's ride away. A servant had left a basin of water on the table by the bed. She got up to splash herself awake and was just drying when it occurred to her that Impa would be able to tell her if the dream was real or not. Her eyes turned toward the empty space on the bed beside her where her husband, Norsan, normally slept. He had disappeared a week ago. A gerudo envoy had arrived the previous day, saying they had come across the remains of a battle, amongst the fallen they had identified men in Hylian armour and tattered banners bearing Hyrule's emblem. Lara knew what that meant.

Dragging herself out of her thoughts Lara glimpsed back at her son, who was still asleep. She dressed and gathered her son in a thick cloak before walking up the corridors towards Impa's chambers. They were on the other side of the castle in one of the towers. The Sheikah preferred a good vantage point where she could gaze upon the land and meditate. Lara passed a couple of guards and servants who gazed curiously at her but said nothing as she went by, arriving at Impa's tower she pushed open the door and climbed up the cold stone stairs to Impa's chambers. It was probably one of the coldest parts of the castle up here and Lara wondered if the Sheikah had ice in their veins, the cold seemed not to bother them at all.

She did not have to wait long after knocking for Impa to open the door.

"Lara, I knew you were coming." Impa said, her lack of surprise at seeing her reflecting this.

"I wish you would not do that Impa, it's a little unnerving." Lara replied as Impa gestured toward the still crackling fireplace in the hearth opposite the bed.

_Maybe they don't have ice in their veins after all, _Lara thought as Impa directed her into a seat by the fireplace.

Apart from a few sparse furnishings and the bed the room had little in the way of decoration and despite the fire did not feel entirely welcoming. She glanced back at the child in her arms wondering whether trying to explain the dream would make her sound crazy.

"Is there something wrong with your son?" Impa asked, seeing the expression on Lara's face as she sat down in a chair beside her.

"No, not at all." Lara replied hastily. "It's just... You told me, long ago, to come to you if I had any particularly unusual dreams."

Just then a servant walked in bearing a tray of tea, he placed it on the table by the fire, and Lara noticed the two cups as she put them down wondering just how much Impa knew.

"I did." Impa replied.

With a little encouragement from Impa, Lara recounted the details of her dream. It did not take long. After finishing Impa drained the last of the tea from her cup, looking thoughtful, she gazed at the infant in Lara's lap with renewed interest.

"Why him though?" Lara asked.

"It is not for us to understand or question the will of the goddesses. We must learn to accept it. I cannot say why they have chosen your son, if they have. All I can say is that if he is the one they chose, then he is the hero reborn. The sheikah have searched for him for years… to think…" Impa paused, her gaze shifting back to Lara. "May I hold him?"

Lara passed her child to Impa. He gave a soft moan of protest at being woken up but quickly went back to sleep as Impa held him up.

"There is one way to find out if he is the chosen one. I assure you, this won't harm him." Impa said, noting the concern growing on Lara's face.

She placed the palm of her hand on the baby's forehead and closed her eyes. She was quiet for a few moments and the infant gave no indication of being disturbed.

"The power of the goddesses flows strongly through him, but the power of Farore is strongest. If I did not know any better, I may have mistaken him for a sheikah."

"Is he…"

"Patience Lara, please don't interrupt." Impa replied firmly, her eyes still closed. "I can see his path the goddesses have laid out for him, bits of it at least. But it is enough."

"Then… He is the hero reborn?"

"He is." Impa replied. "The arrival of the envoy from the Gerudo Valley means we must hurry. Their king will be looking for the child as well."

"If he is a threat then why haven't you warned the king? How come you did not warn him before the gerudo came?" Impa gazed at her silently for a moment, the only noise was from the crackling of the fire and despite it she felt as though there was a sudden chill in the room.

"Many assume the sheikah can see the future exactly as it will happen. We can see only glimpses of it, glimpses of what is to come and what may come. Trying to change the course of time is perilous and may cause the very events we are trying to avoid." Impa replied grimly. "Though, given your visions, I am more confident in my interpretation of what the sight has shown me. As for the king, he does not think much of the sheikah's abilities as fortune tellers, he knows we can misinterpret the visions the sight gives us and does not trust it. Of one thing I am certain, your son is a threat to the gerudo king, the forest is protected by an ancient magic. Only very complicated magic could penetrate those barriers, and no sheikah has ever done that."

"When should we leave?" Lara asked, dreading the answer.

"Tonight. Gather your things and meet me at the stables. Tell no one where you are going."

"Wait, now?" Lara asked. "How do you plan to get out of here?"

"The magic of my ancestors allows me to travel almost instantly to other places, within a certain distance. You must trust me. I can get us to the edge of the forest unseen. I can't get us inside though. The magic protecting the forest prevents me from using travelling in there."

"What…" Lara stared at Impa blankly, not understanding what Impa meant.

"Travelling… It's the magic I use to travel instantly between two points. We cannot delay much longer. I must be back before the king realizes I ever left. I can make sure nobody sees me."

"Just one other thing. We can't travel into the forest, how are we supposed to get in without dying?"

"That is a legend. There are spirits that protect the forest. They cause any that would do harm to its inhabitants to experience terrifying hallucinations. The results are unpleasant for those who don't flee when the visions warn them to do so."

"You don't think that will happen to us?" Lara asked fearfully.

"No. I have been there before. Come, we must go."

* * *

It took less than an hour for Lara to get ready and saddle her horse as Impa instructed. She shooed off the stable boys trying to assist her before Impa arrived and readied her own horse. Lara mounted her horse once it was saddled and ready. She held her son firmly in her arms. Impa checked outside the stable to make sure nobody could see them before mounting her own steed and moving it beside Lara.

"This, travelling? It's safe for a baby, isn't it?" Lara asked, not familiar with much of the sheikah's abilities.

"I would not have suggested it if I thought your child would come to harm. All you need to do is grab hold of me."

Lara nodded, grabbing the hand Impa offered. The stable blurred and spun around them, for a moment Lara thought she was going to be sick. She shut her eyes, opening them as she felt Impa relax her grip and the world slowly spun back into focus. It was then she realized they had travelled straight into a group of moblins camped at the edge of the forest. Their steeds were standing next to a cook pot placed over a large fire. The horses whinnied in fear at both the change in scenery and the scent of the moblins but mercifully did not panic. The moblins on guard stared dumbstruck at the sight of the two women appearing in their midst. A shout went up as the confused moblins quickly regained their composure. Impa muttered a curse under her breath and Lara had little time to contemplate just how dire their situation now was before Impa had charged her horse in front of her, sending a wave of fire a few metres across into the moblins in front of them.

"Run Lara, I will hold them off!"

Lara did so. Her horse leapt over the charred moblins in front of it and passed a tent, the occupants screaming in agony as the fire Impa had cast turned them and their tent into a torch. Looking back, Lara could see bursts of fire leaving Impa's outstretched hands, incinerating the moblins that it struck. To her dismay, several smaller moblins had run and mounted their boars. They saw her, one pointing its spear while the others raised bows and bellowed a war cry as they gave chase. Lara dug her feet into her horse's side and urged it into a gallop, but still the moblins got closer. She chanced another look back over her shoulder to see a moblin thrust a spear toward Impa. The spear missed her burying itself into the side of Impa's horse, sending horse and rider tumbling. The screams of Impa's dying horse echoed through the darkness and Lara gave a shout of dismay at the sight. To her relief, Lara's saw several flashes of fire moments later as Impa appeared to recover. There were still a few moblins left and although it looked likely that Impa would kill them Lara was not sure she would be able to and then reach her in time to kill her pursuers.

She was almost at the trees when Lara gave a cry as a sharp pain flooded her back. It felt like her shoulder was on fire, and she could not move it without pain shooting down her entire side. Looking behind her, she saw the shaft and fletching of an arrow buried in her side. Blood was flowing from the wound. Lara's side felt damp and when she began to fill dizzy she realized a poison arrow had struck her. A strange itching that turned into burning pain spreading from the wound confirmed her fears. A second arrow struck the flank of her horse, narrowly missing her leg. Mercifully Lara's steed kept going. As it started to slow down, breathing harshly, Lara realized the poison running through her was also coursing through her horse. The moblins advanced on her before she heard Impa whistle in the distance. An owl screeched in reply and she saw the owl, larger than any she had seen, descend from the trees above her. It crashed into the moblins, knocking them off their boars and onto the ground.

"RUN!" She heard a voice cry, she could have sworn it came from the owl.

Lara pulled the reins on her horse bringing it to a halt before it stumbled from the poison coursing through its veins. No sooner had she finished dismounting with the baby still tight in her arms her horse finally gave up and collapsed to the ground. Knowing her time was short Lara ignored the pitiful whimpers coming from the dying horse and ran into the forest trying to fight off the feeling of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her. The hot burning pain lancing through her shoulder had spread across her arm and side. If she fell, Lara knew she would never be able to get up again. In the distance, she could hear the noise of someone singing a beautiful song, it was faint over the baby's cries but it gave her the strength to carry on. The boars reached the forest edge and halted. One still had a moblin on it but the beast responded to its master's attempts to encourage it to move further into the forest by throwing the squealing moblin off, trampling it and trotting away from the forest. The other two boars followed suit and ran after it.

* * *

Navi watched this from above, she watched as the woman entered the forest with the crying infant and after a moment realized that neither she nor the child had been killed entering. Nothing had happened at all.

_The Great Deku Tree was right, _she thought. _He said this would happen. _

She knew what it meant and flew toward the woman as fast as she could. Flying so fast she nearly went crashing into some branches as she left the forest canopy and flew into the undergrowth.

"Wait! Hey!" Navi called out as the woman ran on. "Are you looking for the… HEY!"

The woman paused, gasping for breath she looked up at Navi surprised to hear the fairy make such a loud noise.

"Are you looking for the Great Deku Tree?" Navi asked her, already sure of the answer. The woman seemed surprised that she knew that.

"Yes, please can you take me to him? I don't have much time."

"This way." Navi said.

They did not take long to reach the clearing with the enormous tree in the middle. It was an odd-looking tree. Its trunk looked like someone had carved two enormous eyes and a nose into it. One may have thought it was simply a carving unless they saw the trees eyes open.

"Great Deku Tree!" Navi yelled as they approached the tree, its eyes opened gazing at the fairy and the woman following behind with an infant in her arms.

"Navi? Kaepora told me what happened," the Great Deku tree said. "You brought them. I have told Saria to come with fairies tears. She will be here shortly, and hopefully the fairy potion-"

Not waiting for the Great Deku Tree to finish, Lara ran up to the ancient, gnarled roots of the forest guardian. She was too exhausted and too delirious to be remotely surprised at the sight of a tree with a face that resembled a carving.

"Thank the goddesses. I had a vision telling me to seek you. I was told you could help my son." Lara gasped.

She collapsed on her knees, still holding the infant. "Please, I have been told to assign my son to your care. This is the only place that he is safe from the ones looking for him." Lara said.

Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Saria and her fairy as well as Mori arrived. Saria, who looked to be a girl of little more than ten years, pulled a bottle of the potion out of a sack she was carrying.

"How did she get in here?" Saria asked, not wasting time or waiting for an answer she opened the bottle and poured the contents on Lara's wound, leaving some in the bottle as she dropped it on the grass.

"What's going on?" Mori asked quite bewildered. She and Saria's fairy flew closer to see what Saria was doing, their glowing forms providing some much needed light as the Kokiri girl examined the arrow, as she pulled away Lara's clothing Saria gasped. The skin around the wound and down Lara's arm was black and icy to touch.

"She cannot be healed!" Said Saria's fairy, as Saria still examined Lara's wounded shoulder. "The poison is stopping the fairy tears from working. I think there is some magic at work that is preventing the tears from healing her."

"Dark magic indeed if it can do that," the Great Deku Tree said sounding disturbed by this. "You have done what you can Saria. What of the child?"

Lara, unable to hold on to Saria much longer without knocking her over passed Link to her and then let go as the last of her strength gave way and she collapsed.

"Is there anything we can do?" Saria asked, sounding a little horrified. "I don't understand. That should have worked."

"There is nothing you can do child, this is powerful dark magic to stop that potion from working. Don't blame yourself," the Great Deku Tree replied sadly. "I will take your son Lara."

"Thank you!" Lara replied weakly. "Please keep him safe."

"Your son will be fine with me. Saria will take good care of him. She and the Kokiri are much older than they look, she will not let anything happen to him and nor will I." Said the Deku Tree sympathetically. "What is the child's name?"

Lara's eyes had closed, they fluttered open weakly and her last words were, "Link, his name is Link."


End file.
